Change Has Many Forms
by iloveromance
Summary: A series of stories revolving around Niles and Daphne that deal with different types of change.
1. Name

Daphne's hand trembled as the pen in her fingers hovered just above the paper. But it was more than a piece of paper. It was a document; the most important document she would ever sign in her life, even more so than the document that brought her from Manchester to Seattle all those years ago.

"Daphne, you don't have to do this."

At the sound of his voice, she whirled around to see Niles standing behind her. And the look on his face was more than disturbing. "Wh-what are you saying? Niles I love you."

He smiled and took her hand bringing it to his lips. "And I love you, my angel. I'm sorry if I scared you. I just wanted you to know that if you're not ready to do this, I'll wait for you. I'll wait as long as it takes."

Tears fell onto her cheeks and she kissed him softly. "Of course I want to do this, Sweetheart. There's nothing I want more. But…"

"But what?"

"It's just a huge change. Once I sign that piece of paper, I'll no longer be _Daphne Moon_. I'll be _Daphne Crane._ "

"That's exactly what I meant, my love. You don't have to change your name."

She looked at him in confusion. "But-."

"Your last name is special. You were born with it. The name _Moon_ is part of your identity. It's who you are. And it's a beautiful name. If you want to keep it, that's fine. I completely understand." And then he grinned. "Or you can hyphenate. You know, Moon-Crane?"

She laughed, remembering how silly she'd been, worrying that her old boyfriend Clive was going to come and ask her to take him back. And yet here she was standing beside the man whom she'd pretended to be married to, all to make Clive jealous. The man of her dreams had been beside her all along.

Impulsively she kissed Niles, preventing him from saying any more. "I love you, Niles Crane. And I can't wait to become _Daphne Crane_. I want to take your last name. I want to share everything with you for the rest of our lives. I love you, Niles Crane."

He chuckled and brushed a few tears from her cheeks, touching his forehead to hers. "I believe you said that already; that you love me, I mean."

Another kiss followed and she smiled at him. "I do love you, Niles Crane. And I could never say it enough."

"Then what are we waiting for, Miss Daphne Moon; soon to be _Mrs. Niles Crane_? Let's get married."

She squeezed his hand, her heart beating madly as they walked up to the minister who smiled at them. Her life as Daphne Crane was about to begin. And what a wonderful life it would be.

 **~Fin~/TBC**


	2. Season

The moment they stepped out of the lobby of the Montana and into the night air Daphne shivered and rubbed her arms.

"Are you all right, my angel?"

She smiled at the affectionate name that she wholeheartedly did not deserve. "Niles, I'm fine. It's just… it's a bit cooler than I expected it to be out here. It's been so warm lately that I guess I was just hoping that it would stay warm a bit longer."

The soft satin lining of Niles' jacket fell onto her shoulders, surrounding her with warmth and she turned to kiss him. "Thank you, sweetheart."

"Fall weather is coming soon, even though the calendar indicates that fall began weeks ago." Niles explained.

Daphne sighed. "I know but I'm still going to miss the warm weather. Sitting on the deck sunning myself, tending to the garden, even though it's just a small one for now, wearing lighter and fewer pieces of clothing, days that seem to last forever…"

Niles drew her close and kissed her passionately. "Hm… I'm all for wearing less clothing and the long days but colder weather can have its advantages as well."

Daphne laughed. "Oh really? What kind of advantages?"

Niles grinned mischievously. "Well for starters there are warm fires, rain showers, perhaps even snow. Hot chocolate, Christmas, New Year's Eve, Valentine's Day…"

"Oh right. But what do those things have to do with-."

"They're all perfect opportunities for me to show you how much I love you. Snuggling under a warm blanket; you and I sipping hot chocolate in front of a roaring fire. I could keep going."

But she stopped him with a kiss; one that quickly deepened and she wondered how she could possibly love him more. "You don't have to. You're right. Cold weather is wonderful, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is."

They continued their walk and she snuggled against Niles' chest as he kept his arm around her, warming her with his loving touch. She was so content that she barely noticed that the temperature had dropped even further. But she shivered, perhaps involuntarily, causing Niles to stop and gaze into her eyes.

"Are you cold, my love? Did you want to go inside?"

"No." She said, bringing his soft lips to hers. "Not yet. I'm perfectly happy right here with you, warmed by your love."

 **~Fin~/TBC**


	3. School

Daphne crouched down to her son's level and put her hands on his small shoulders. "I hope you have a wonderful first day, sweetheart."

David's lower lip trembled. "But I don't' want to go. I want to stay with you and Dad and Grandpa."

Daphne smiled and smoothed David's soft blonde hair. "I know that it's scary sweetheart, going to a new school. But you're going to make lots of new friends and learn lots of new-." Unexpectedly her voice broke and she began to cry. "I-."

When she rose to her feet, Niles wrapped his arms around her and kissed her cheek. But poor David looked absolutely terrified.

"Why is Mum crying?"

Niles squeezed Daphne's hand and then picked up the scared little boy. "Well, your mum is afraid too. Going to a new school can be scary. But she's right. You're going to make lots of friends at your new school."

"Like you did, Daddy?"

Niles glanced at Daphne and she gave him a sympathetic smile. It was no secret that he didn't have a lot of friends growing up, with the exception of Frasier and her heart went out to him, even now. But she couldn't worry David with her father's past. It was as it was… in the past. It was best to concentrate on the present and the future.

"Yes David." She said before Niles had a chance to answer. "Now go on. School is going to start soon. Daddy's going to walk with you to your classroom, all right?"

When Niles returned David to his feet, David nodded and threw his arms around Daphne. She hugged him tightly, tears spilling down her cheeks. "I love you, Sweetheart."

"I love you too, Mum."

She kissed Niles and gave his hand one last squeeze before tearfully watching her husband take David's hand and led him off into a brand-new adventure.

 _ **~Fin~/~TBC~**_


	4. Scenery

Daphne couldn't help but notice the expression on Dr. Crane's face when she opened the door. The poor man looked sadder than she'd ever seen him. But he had good reason to be sad, after discovering that his wife was having an affair-with their marriage counselor!  
Daphne tried to be sympathetic. And she was sympathetic; truly and deeply in fact. But she couldn't help feeling angry. How Mrs. Crane could treat him so cruelly when Dr. Crane had done nothing but love her was unfathomable.

"Hello, Dr. Crane."

He kept his eyes to the floor. "Hello, Daphne."

"Would you like to come in? I made some tea and I can whip up a batch of biscuits if you'd-."

"No, thank you Daphne. I'm not very hungry. I just came to see if Frasier was at home."

"Oh, I'm sorry, he's not. He and your father went to the lake."

Niles eyes met hers, registering surprise. "The lake? Frasier and Dad?"

"Yes, I thought it was strange meself. But your brother said that he needed a change of scenery. I suppose we could all use one from time to time."

"Yes, that's true. I-."

To her horror, he began to cry.

"Oh Dr. Crane, come here." She led him to the sofa, coaxing him to sit down beside her. She held him close, letting him cry as much as he needed to, while she rubbed his back. She'd never seen him this upset before and it broke her heart. "I'm so sorry, Dr. Crane." She whispered, kissing his cheek. "I know it hurts."

After a few moments, he lifted his head. "I'm sorry. Daphne."

"Don't be. Dr. Crane, I wasn't going to say anything, but it's terrible, the way your wife has hurt you like this. I'm so sorry. And I'm sorry that your brother isn't home. He's a much better person to talk to than I am."

To her surprise, he took her hand. "You've been an absolute angel, Daphne. Thank you."

Her heart was beating madly at the unexpected affection. "Dr. Crane…"

There was a brief silence before he spoke again. "You know… I think Frasier had the right idea."

"What do you mean?"

"Perhaps I could use a change of scenery as well."

"That sounds like a good idea."

"Maris has a beach house… on the beach."

"Oh that sounds lovely, Dr. Crane."

"Daphne, will you come with me?"

She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "What?"

"Come with me, please."

"Dr. Crane…"

"I don't mean to sound foreword and I would never want to make you uncomfortable. I just… It would be nice to have some company."

"Oh, well… I…."

"Just as friends, Daphne. I swear. I guess the idea has finally sunk in that I'm going to be alone. And… it hurts, you know?"

When he began to cry again, she pulled him toward her and held him. "I know…"

She was at a complete loss. It was wrong to go away with him, even though he'd asked her to. She considered him to be a good friend and nothing more. She knew that he meant no harm in asking her and that he just wanted company and the gesture touched her deeply. But it didn't feel right. And she had no idea how to tell him without hurting him. He'd already been hurt enough.

But when she looked into his sad, tear-filled eyes, her heart felt differently. She hugged him warmly and kissed his cheek. "Wait here, while I'll pack me bag."

 ** _~FIN/TBC~_**


	5. Hairstyle

She stared into the mirror, horrified. She'd told the stylist that she only wanted a trim on her shoulder-length hair and she scolded herself for not paying closer attention while he went to work on her locks, snipping away. And now it was too late. Her hair… her beautiful hair was now almost as short as Niles'. And she looked positively dreadful.

It would take weeks, or more realistically, months for her hair to grow to its original length. Oh why hadn't she paid more attention? She should have known better than to go to a discount salon in the mall of all places. Even Niles seemed to have his reservations about it. But her hair was driving him crazy and the haircuts were on sale for half price. Now she'd paid an even bigger price, both physically and emotionally.

Niles would be back to get her any moment. What would he do? What would he say? She sighed, hoping that her hair would grow quickly, although she knew better. It was just wishful thinking. Not wanting to cause a scene, she thanked the stylist and walked to the register.

"We hope you'll come again, Mrs. Crane. You look fabulous!"

Daphne wanted to strangle the perky receptionist as she reluctantly handed over her credit card. Normally she would have protested the horrible service that she'd received and flatly refused to pay. But she was too upset to think about it. And so she simply smiled and nodded.

Her throat felt tight as she walked into the mall, but she saw no signs of her husband. For several minutes she stood, watching the people walk past her; all of them with beautiful hair. And that's when she started to cry.

"I'm looking for my wife, Daphne Moon. She had an appointment here earlier."

At the sound of his voice in the distant background she whirled around, quickly brushing the tears from her cheeks. But still they continued to fall.

"Certainly sir, she's right over there. And she looks fabulous!"

Once again, the perky receptionist's voice made Daphne cringe.

Niles turned and looked around in confusion. "I-I don't-."

Nervously Daphne waved to get his attention. His eyes widened and he walked toward her, still staring at her in disbelief. From the expression on his face, she must have looked worse than she thought.

"Daphne?"

"H-hello, Niles."

He moved closer. "Daphne?"

Amazingly she laughed. "You're starting to remind me of our first meeting, remember? You kept saying _you're Daphne_?"

"I'm sorry, I…" He reached out and touched her hair, or what was left of it anyway. "It's just… is it really you?"

Instantly she burst into tears. "Oh Niles, I look horrible, don't I? I knew I should have never gone into this bloody place! They cut all me hair off! And now it's going to take forever to grow back!"

"I'm sorry, Daphne. I didn't mean to imply-."

"You can say it, Niles! I look bloody awful!"

"Daphne, no-."

"Look at me, Niles! Oh this is horrible!"

"You're beautiful."

His words, although they warmed her heart, did little to ease her disappointment. "Niles, you're always saying that. But you also always say that we should be honest with each other. You didn't even recognize me a minute ago. So I must look terrible. I-."

His lips met hers, his warm hand cradling her cheek. "You could never look terrible, Daphne. You're beautiful. And although it's true that I will miss being able to run my fingers through your hair, I promise I'm being completely honest when I say that I think you're the most beautiful woman that I've ever seen. Even if your hair is as short as mine."

"Niles..."

"And the best part is that I can see more of your neck,which give me more places to kiss... Like this..."

When he began trailing kisses across her bare neck, she laughed and cupped his face in her hands, bringing his lips to hers. "Oh Niles, I love you."

"I love you too, And I've never meant anything more in my life."

She held him close, suddenly happy with her new hairstyle. And she couldn't wait to show it off.

 _ **~Fin/TBC~**_


	6. Career

Daphne smoothed the sides of her clothing and smiled at her husband. "Do I look all right, Niles? I mean, really all right?"

He leaned to kiss her and then drew back with a smile. "You're stunning. You've never looked more beautiful."

His words made her laugh. "Niles, I'm wearing purple scrub pants and a white scrub top with pink dinosaurs on it."

"Exactly. And that is why you look so beautiful. The children are going to love you."

She swallowed hard, feeling a strange instinct to cry. "Niles..."

"It's true."

But her emotions were eclipsed by the fluttering in her stomach. "Oh bloody hell, why am I so nervous?"

"You're starting a new job; a new career with Children's Hospital. Beginnings are scary, but you'll be wonderful."

"I'm going to miss working with your father."

Niles smiled and brushed away a tear from her cheek; a tear that she wasn't even aware of. "Dad loves you so much, Daphne. And if you hadn't cared for him all of those years, who know where he might be right now"? He's stronger; much stronger than he was before. You came into our lives and for that I am eternally grateful."

Tears streamed down her cheeks, but she made no effort to brush them away. "Niles…"

"I love you so much, Daphne. And I'm so proud of you. Children's Hospital will love having you on their staff."

She kissed him without reserve. "I love you so much too, Niles."

"You'd better get going so that you'll have plenty of time to get settled in."

"You're right." She grabbed her purse and her lunch and headed for the door, pausing to kiss her husband one last time. This, her first day at her new job, promised to be the best ever. And she couldn't wait to come home and tell him all about it.


	7. Address

"Well, I think that's everything." Niles said taking one last glance around his brother's apartment.

Daphne's heart did a tiny little flip and she walked to the room that, until just a few minutes earlier, had been hers. Now it was completely empty. She knew that she was supposed to be happy… blissfully happy in fact, but instead of happiness, she was feeling a strange sense of emptiness.

"Daphne? Sweetheart? The movers are gone and if we hurry, we can just beat them home and-."

She couldn't help it. She burst into tears. "Oh Niles!"

Clearly confused, he took her into his arms and held her. "Hey, what's wrong? Shah… Don't cry. It'll be all right."

"Niles, the movers just called. They're stuck in traffic and-Dear God…what's wrong?"

"I don't know, Frasier." Niles replied. "She just started crying for some reason." He kissed Daphne's cheek. "Daphne? Honey, what is it?"

"Hey, Fras, the movers want to know-"What happened?"

"I'm not sure, Dad. Daphne's upset about something." Frasier replied.

"Daphne?"

Niles stroked her hair. "Sweetheart? Are you gonna be okay?"

Slowly she pulled out of Niles' arms and looked at Frasier and Martin. "I'm sorry for getting so emotional. I guess it's really starting to hit me that I'm leaving."

Niles swallowed hard. "Daphne, if you don't want to do this-."

She turned to Niles and kissed him. "No. I mean, yes. I want to live with you, Niles. More than anything. But -." She turned to Frasier and Martin. "I'm going to miss you both so much."

Frasier smiled. "You're not really leaving, Daphne."

"Yeah, you'll still be here all the time, probably even more than before." Martin pointed out.

"But it won't be the same. I know it's daft and I'm sorry."

Frasier hugged her tightly and kissed her cheek. "Don't be. We love you, Daphne. And we'll miss you. But we'll still see you as much as possible. You're a part of our family."

"I love you, too." She replied.

"Look, I'm not one for sentiment, but… what the hell." To everyone's surprise, Martin hugged Daphne and kissed her cheek.

"I love you, old man. And thank you."

Martin drew back, clearly confused. "For what?"

"For convincing Frasier to hire me as your physical therapist."

"We should thank you too, Daphne."

Surprised, she glanced at Frasier. "Thank me? But-."

Frasier smiled. "For making Niles so happy."  
A pair of arms went around her and two lips brushed against her cheek. "Happy doesn't begin to describe it."

She turned in his arms and kissed him. "Niles..."

"Are you ready to go? The movers are probably waiting in front of my building. I mean our building."

Daphne smiled and brushed away her tears. "Yes, I'm ready."

At the door, she kissed Martin and Frasier's cheeks once more and hugged them tightly. And as she and Niels stepped into the elevator for the ride down to the lobby, she smiled. She could hardly wait for their new life to begin.


	8. Schedule

He was just getting to the brunt of Mr. Jackson's problem when his intercom buzzed. Annoyed, he pushed the button. Mrs. Woodson always picked the most inopportune times to interrupt him. What could possibly be so important that it couldn't wait until he finished his report? Annoyed, he stopped typing and pushed the intercom button to answer her.

"What is it, Mrs. Woodson? I'm very busy and-."

 _"I'm sorry Dr. Crane. I know you don't like to be disturbed when you're working and under any other circumstances I wouldn't have bothered you."_

"All right, what is it?

 _"Daphne's on the phone. She says it's urgent."_

Niles shook his head in disbelief. "Send her through."

 _"Right away, Dr. Crane._ "

As soon as the call was transferred, Niles did his best to maintain his composure. He loved Daphne deeply but lately she'd been calling almost constantly, asking for this or that. At this stage in her life (or more correctly their lives) it was only natural that she'd be needier. But her needs were proving to be constant disruptions in his work day.

However, he wouldn't dare complain. He couldn't.

He picked up the phone and smiled. "Hello, my love."

 _"Oh-oh Niles! Help me, please!"_

Immediately he sat up in his chair. "Daphne? Sweetheart? What is it?"

 _"Oh Niles, it hurts! It hurts so badly! I need you!"  
_

He was frantic, his heart thumping in his chest. "Daphne, honey what is it? What's happened?"

 _"M-my water broke! The-the baby's coming!"  
_

"Dear God! Hang on, Sweetheart! Call 911 and I'll be there as fast as I can! I'll meet you at home!"

 _"Niles!"_ She screamed, alarming him even further.

"I love you, Sweetheart! Just hang in there."

He hung up the phone before he realized that he'd hung up on his wife. And then he rushed into the lobby, where Mrs. Woodson looked at him in alarm.

"Dr. Crane, what's wrong?"

"I-it's Daphne. Sh-she's in labor. I-I'm going to be a father!"

Mrs. Woodson didn't hesitate. "You go on home and I'll be there soon. I just need to change your schedule and I'll be there."

He took her hand and kissed it. "You're an angel, Mrs. Woodson. Just like Daphne. Thank you."

 **THE END**


End file.
